"[I]f the policy of the government upon vital questions, affecting the whole people, is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court, the instant they are made, in ordinary litigation between parties, in personal actions, the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, having to that extent practically resigned their government into the hands of that eminent tribunal."
by:
Abraham Lincoln
(1809-1865) 16th US President
Source:
First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861, Washington, D.C.
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Reader comments about this quote:
 -- Allen, DC      
This so true! Today, even after this dire warning, the Supreme Court is more powerful and intrusive than ever. Will we ever learn that history repeats itself? It is even more important that we know how our government works and that all responsible citizens get actively involved in the election process. If Obama uses his billion dollar war chest and gets re-elected, the Supreme Court will be all his. There can be no doubt that the precedence has been set and his Court WILL bypass Congress and legislate from the bench. That's the scariest part of this whole election coming up.
 -- GunnyCee, Durham     
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    Good quote from the man who used a war to centralize power in Washinton. To all those souls who love the "great emancipator", he only freed the slaves in 4 states, the ones that wanted to secede.
     -- jim k, Austin, Tx     
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    We hold this truth to be self evident. Either We The People are individual sovereigns united with the government our representatives - being our servants (not lawfully being able to do anything that I / We can not do; with jury nullification authority and ability); or, the occupying statist theocracy infesting this land is a god with ability to make laws that supersede the laws of nature and of nature's God. I, for one, am a sovereign heir to the King of the Universe ! I recognize no temporal rulers (servant representatives only). I have not to that extent, or any extent, practically or otherwise, resigned my government into the hands of that eminently demonic tribunal.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Since the great War of Independence (The Civil War) this government has become more intrusive and controlling until today we have less independence and less personal liberty than the day our forefathers took up arms to overthrow the monarchy rule of the foreign power of Great Britain
     -- Joe, Glen St. Mary, FL     
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    I can't remember a time when federal judges countermanded presidential executive orders as frequently as they have been doing with Pres. Trump. I do not think that the President has to obey such orders or wait for the Supreme Court to decide. It has become painfully obvious that the courts and system of law are being corrupted into a statist theocracy ruled by lawyers and judges belonging to an exclusive club with a monopoly on the power of the 'law.' The Supreme Court is so obviously partisan, that they do not deserve life-long appointments to secure their power forever.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Lincoln found himself at odds with many State Supreme Courts. No doubt, Lincoln did not care for Constitutionally Conservative judges on the bench. There is a New Sheriff in town, rolling back the regulatory state, lowering taxes, exposing corruption across the board of bureaus. Down sizing and cleaning house. The Trump Era is on the quick, unpredictable, as it should be. For those that love/work in/for the socialistic bleeding heart plundering of current centralized government, look for another job soon. MAGA happening nation wide. Waking Up to a good day of hard dirty work, how refreshing to have a President Trump, in touch with the Patriotic Backbone of the Nation. Knowing what we see and willing to correct the problems of corruption within the ranks of government. Local, state, and federal levels.
     -- Ronw13, OR     
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    Dear President Trump, 
             I would very much desire to meet with you on the subject of paying down the national debt.  You and the subject of national debt reconciliation are being presented simultaneously, and this is a very positive note on your presidential resume, now we must complete this monumental task.  It is my view that we can raise the gross domestic product substantially to meet this reconciliation.  Let's speak,   Sincerely, Fredrick William Sillik   
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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    Mr Trump, I'm afraid to tell you and the rest of the conventional population offer very little to the world without direction. You will simply lead us to the grave, you're only response being to any problem, concern,  or care is "jesus saves."  There is simply no jesus to call on. We must have reasonable rational solutions to our problems.   Sincerely, Mr Fredrick William Sillik
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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    Sillik, it is sadly obvious how shallow your religion leaves you. Your lack of substance and truth obstruct a knowledge of basic history, science, facts, law and spiritual actuality.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Mike, Norwalk, I am not religious, I am principled. 
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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    Sillik, again your personal dictionary for mentally ill dupes fails you. Your socialist religion is text book correct with your picture next to religion's definition. Principled? — how religious of you.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Mike, Norwalk, don't understand what you're writing, but would like to add to the dictionary in that the identifying principle of religion is based on fictional characteristics, while science's identifying principle is fact finding, science is the course to which I subscribe. 
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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    Sillik, you neither subscribe to science nor law; while, your personally erroneous dictionary for mentally ill dupes has once again, absolutely nothing to do with reality. Religion is: a sacrosanct object of conscience (an ethic(s), a moral(s), a value or principle (system) or an orientation of correctness / enlightenment) believed sufficiently conventional as to enable an attributable action. Religion is extraneous to the immediate absolute of nature’s law (sometimes in harmony — other times, no). Religion’s initiating tenets of conscience, through fruition of action, encompasses self-obligated pursuits, imperative practices and devoted interests separate / apart from nature’s law. Legally, Religion is: “ real piety in practice, consisting in the performance of all known duties to ⋯ our fellow men.” (Bouviers Law Dictionary); Otherwise, Religion is: a) any specific system of belief and worship, often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy [the Christian religion, the Buddhist religion, etc.] b) any system of beliefs, practices, ethical values, etc. resembling, suggestive of, or likened to such a system [humanism as a religion] ⋯ any object of conscientious regard and pursuit.” (Webster's New World Dictionary - Fourth College Edition); AND, from Joseph Goebbels’ Diary (a very knowledgeable and capable definer of words) “⋯ Socialism is a religion. All we lack is a religious genius capable of uprooting outmoded religious practices and putting new ones in their place. We lack traditions and ritual. One day soon National Socialism will be the religion of all Germans. My Party is my church, and I believe I serve the Lord best if I do his will, and liberate my oppressed people from the fetters of slavery. That is my gospel.” Sillik, you are very religious.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Yep.  And Fred is not only religious, he is a zealot!  If someone else was posting as much as Fred does, and they used the word 'Jesus' as many times as he has used 'socialism,' we would call them a Jesus-freak.  Well, he is a socialism-freak — in fact, I would go so far as to say Fred is claiming messianic authority as well since he claims to be the ONLY person on the planet that truly knows what socialism is and is fit to lead the rest of us.  If that isn't religious, I don't know what is.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    No, Mr Archer, Mike, Norwalk, I seek accountability in my own personal behavior, and I require you fellows to be accountable for your behavior before I call you friend. You both throw a bunch of pointless writing at me for some kind "fun," neither of you have any real desire to learn and grow from the experience. I write and speak because that is the very essence of the evidential sign of growth in the individual, I want to be come better, get passed my past errors, and move on.  My writing grows as I grow. 
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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    I continue to grow in knowledge and experience through these dialogues, Fred.  So far, your ramblings aren't substantive enough to learn anything from you other than provide an example of a disordered and confused mind. 

    My opinions of you are based on your own words — there is no shortage of them, and you make one thing very clear: you believe you are the smartest, most mature, most sane person on the planet, and you have no equal, and that nearly always people think you are in need of psychiatric help. 

    Friendships? I doubt you have any.  Mike and I are probably the only people you engage with.  But please do consider me a friend.

    As far as your writing goes, it is needlessly verbose using complex words incorrectly, grammatically incorrect, and almost exclusively relying on well-known logical fallacies as support for your truly unoriginal ideas which have a history of failure so profound, it would take a completely ignorant and poorly educated person to hold fast to them as gospel.

    Please know that I am not making fun of you.  I really am trying to help you and others like you that may stumble upon these dialogues.  We have been lied to and suffer for it, but thankfully the Truth makes us free!  I am here because I like the quotes on this site about Liberty and have been posting here for over 20 years (with Mike and others). 

    True liberty requires an awakening, and this forum has been a lot of fun to connect with like-minded and opposition alike.  I've always been curious as to why people so against liberty like to come here and promote servitude — perhaps because it is 'fun' to mock those of us that proscribe to personal responsibility rather than socialist dependency.  No matter, it has only strengthened my resolve and faith that mankind will one day break the chains that bind them and find true Liberty. ;-)


     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Mr Archer, I both very much like and appreciate you and Mr Mr Mike, Norwalk, and our exchanges. I am your Friend. 
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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